Oakland’s Pillowprince bursts onto the scene with pretty, baby!, a debut EP that feels like a battle cry wrapped in a daydream. Across four potent tracks, the band weaves slowcore intensity with shoegaze shimmer and a fierce queercore edge, delivering a collection that’s both deeply personal and defiantly political.
Fronted by Olivia Lee, Pillowprince doesn’t just craft songs, they build emotional sanctuaries. The opener “Mercurial” sets the tone with reverb-soaked guitars and a chorus that aches with longing. It’s a meditation on love’s misalignment, beautiful, bittersweet, and utterly unforgettable. “R the Straights OK” follows with razor-sharp lyricism and ‘90s indie-punk energy, channeling righteous anger into a queer anthem that doesn’t ask for space it takes it.
Produced with striking clarity by Lee and Ian Pellicci, and mixed by Beau Sorenson (Death Cab for Cutie), the sonic landscape is immersive, each song feels like a heartbeat echoing in a dark room full of light. Whether you identify with its stories or arrive as an outsider, Pillowprince offers a radical invitation: listen, feel, and show up.
pretty, baby! is a bold, beautiful debu a love letter, a protest, and a promise that queer voices will not only be heard but felt.
